Noise that is intrinsic to a signal analyzer may adversely impact the dynamic range of the signal analyzer if this intrinsic noise is not taken into consideration when carrying out signal measurements. The intrinsic noise, which limits the lowest signal level detectable by the signal analyzer, can be characterized by what is known in the art as a noise floor. The noise floor can be measured by observing a spectral output on a display of the signal analyzer after terminating one or more ports of the signal analyzer with a characteristic impedance, such as 50 ohms.
A user of the signal analyzer may find it difficult to accurately determine the signal level when the amplitude of a signal is in the vicinity of the noise floor of the signal analyzer. Traditional solutions that have been used to address this issue involve estimating an amplitude of the signal and compensating for the noise contribution of the signal analyzer. However, in at least some cases, the estimation can be erroneous and may lead to overcompensation being applied. Overcompensation makes a noise contribution of the signal analyzer appear even lower than what would be the ideal case with no noise contribution at all. Consequently, such conventional solutions can be misleading and erroneous.